Does the Election Matter?

Today, more votes are being tallied in different states around the country as the process of selecting a new President continues. In spite of the excitement I feel myself drawn to a position of saddened, and rather angry neutrality. For I know from much research that Republican voter suppression tactics have rendered any close election a virtual lost cause. (Greg Palast has written that in any national election the Democrats start down by three million votes due to all the dirty tricks of the Republicans.) The one hope is that there will be a Democratic landslide in the Presidential vote.

Jonathan Alter of Newsweek is claiming to have projected Barack Obama as the virtually certain winner in the selection of Democratic delegates based on the primaries and caucuses. He says he has used something called the Slate Delegate Counter. The only way Hillary could win would be for the so-called super-delegates to go against the popular vote results.

So we seem destined at this point for a McCain-Obama contest. The facts clearly favor Obama. But one can only imagine the kind of "Swift-boat campaign" tactics being prepared even now against Senator Obama.

I feel more comfortable with my books, such as American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips. In the section I am now reading, Phillips is detailing something of the history of Christians in America, a history I am already familiar with in outline. His telling of this history is useful in setting the stage for the surging "Christian" vote. (I have seen fit to put "Christian" in quotes as I do not see the activities of many churches as being truly Christian.) Once again, I highly recommend this well-researched and enlightening book.

(In the interest of disclosure, the parents of an Obama staffer have been friends of mine for years.)